Danish Tales
by belagay
Summary: Lovise has never believed in fairy tales. Not since her parents lied about the tooth fairy. But when Lovise and some other friends take a summer vacation to Denmark, everything she has ever thought about fairytales changes. (cover image credit to tumblr user sketchycheese; used with permission)
1. An Unexpected Encounter

_i had thought of this idea a while ago and decided to go with it even though i wasn't sure how to work it in with a plot, so it probably sucks. my friend peer pressured me into posting it though. so anyway. let's start this. -elise_

* * *

Nyo!Character Names (the ones I use, anyway):

-Norway: Lovise Bondevik

-Denmark: Mathia (mermaids don't have last names. duh.)

-Finland: Taika Vainamoinen

-Sweden: Beatrice "Bea" Oxenstierna

-Iceland: Lara Steillson

* * *

"We're going where?!" Lovise exclaimed, dropping her fork on her plate. Taika nodded, her hands clasped together.

"Denmark! Bea found a small house on the shore of the Baltic Sea. She's willing to share a bed and room with me, but you still get a queen sized bed." Taika glanced over at her girlfriend.

"It should be fun; we're driving to a port and then across a bridge to the island." Bea was a quiet girl, never saying more than she had to. Taika, on the other hand, was small and energetic, as if she was always on five cups of coffee. The two met in their high school biology class, where they were partners for the entire year. They dated from sophomore year and through college, even though they went to different schools. Lovise was a close friend to both of them, and after college was over, moved in with the two.

"I hate Denmark! It's freezing and everyone's drunk there… Remember the last time we went to Denmark on that campout? Some animal attacked our tent in the middle of the night." Lovise crossed her arms over her chest and slumped down in her seat at the dining table.

"Come on, the house is right on the shore. We can go swimming and fishing!" Taika stood and began gathering the dishes. Bea picked up the heavier pots and followed her partner to the kitchen. "Go start packing! We leave tomorrow afternoon!" As Lovise walked up the stairs, Bea and Taika began cleaning the dishes, Taika's head resting on Bea's arm. Although there was around a 6-inch (~12 cm) height difference, they still fell in love. As far as Lovise knew, they hadn't ever fought with each other since meeting.

Lovise's room appeared the largest, although Taika and Bea's room was bigger. Lovise's room was at the end of the house with a triangular ceiling. The walls and low ceiling were both covered in magazine cut outs and posters of her favorite bands. She had one day to pack for a trip she didn't even want to go on. From the closet in the corner, Lovise withdrew a dark gray duffel bag. August was one of Denmark's warmest months, meaning thin jeans and t-shirts. She groaned as she tossed her clothes in there, along with all her bracelets and necklaces. It took but a few moments for her to pack, until Lovise remembered: swimming. With one arm crossing her stomach and the other hanging limply, she picked up the small shopping bag Taika had left hanging on her door knob a few days ago; stapled to it was a note reading, "Try it on! I think it would look amazing on you!" in Taika's curly and quick handwriting. Lovise admittedly, hadn't worn a bathing suit in public since she was 8. Not since the body images started flooding in. With shaky hands, she pulled out a blue and white bikini: far too revealing for Lovise's confidence levels. Nonetheless, she gingerly packed it in her suitcase so as not to upset Taika.

The rest of the night went as per usual: after tidying up the house, the trio sat on the couch and watched the current television show they were on. They were just finishing up a dramatic Swedish soap opera, Taika curled up in Bea's lap and drifting off. Lovise pulled her legs up, resting her head on her knees; her eyes would often drift over to the two, so happy and in love with each other. It seemed typical for such a lonely girl to live with a happy couple.

Unlike Taika had promised, they did not leave that afternoon; in fact, it was hardly light out.

"Lovise! Psst! Wake up! We're getting on the road in an hour; how do you want your eggs?" Taika asked, kneeling down so lean over Lovise's low bed.

"S-scrambled?" Lovise tiredly responded, propping herself up on her forearms. Taika claps her hands together and stands.

"Good! I'll expect you down in thirty minutes after you shower and make your bed." She ran off out of Lovise's room. She could hear soft music playing in the kitchen, accompanied by the smell of ham sizzling. It took a few minutes for her to gain the willpower to do so, but Lovise eventually got up and to the connected bathroom. Without her eyes fully opening, she stripped down and steps into the cold stream of water. Her smooth skin turns into goosebumps as her brain fully realized the temperature of the water. A small yelp escaped her lips as she fumbled for the temperature knob, changing it to a more reasonable temperature. Lovise's hands slowly but surely scrub her body. She let the water drip down her body, until a soft knock can be heard from the door.

"Lovise?" Bea's quiet voice could be heard from the other side.

"I'll be out in a moment, hang tight, Bea!" Lovise quickly toweled off and ran back into her room, Bea taking her spot in the shower. Once putting on her planned outfit and jewelry, Lovise tidies up and takes her bag downstairs.

"Good morning, Lovise!" Taika exclaimed, placing a plate of scrambled eggs and some fried ham in front of her. "Eat up, we'll leave once Bea is ready."

Bea was ready in an instant; the trio climbed in Taika's small convertible, all the luggage already packed.

"Alright, let's enjoy the next 5 hours together!" Taika excitedly, clapping her hands together before starting the car and driving off.

With Taika driving and Bea in shotgun, Lovise had the back to herself; she sat in the middle, unbuckled, leaning forward to talk to the couple. Bea, with her laptop on her lap, continued reading off a summary of the house.

"You'll get a balcony room, overlooking the water; the house also has a small pier, and a rowboat in the garage. Apparently, the owners also left fishing gear and some board games." She read, looking at Lovise.

"Yawn, yawn…" Lovise said, leaning back in her seat. "Sounds like a drag."

"I will not let you ruin this vacation, Lovise! We're stopping for a pit stop in a few miles, so get your shoes on." Taika said, her brows furrowed.

"Honey, you're sounding like your mother again." Bea said, closing her laptop and putting it away. "And Lovise, you're sounding like your little sister." Lara, Lovise's younger sister, was a carbon copy of Lovise, only Lara had a girlfriend. Lovise sighed, but pulled her shoes on nonetheless. Taika pulled off onto a small road, stopping at a run-down gas station.

"You two get snacks, I'll fill up the car." Taika tosses Bea her wallet, intercepted by Lovise's expert catch. She chuckles as she walks into the gas station.

Back on the road, the car full of music and laughter as Lovise, back in her original position, told of childhood stories. They were only a short drive away from the house, the sky becoming clear and blue.

"I swear, she really did! The neighbor wouldn't talk to us for a month after she tried getting it back by climbing over the fence." Lovise laughed as she spoke, popping a chip in her mouth.

"Ooh, we're almost there!" Taika exclaimed, looking at the upcoming signs. She turns onto a gravel road, the tall grass preventing a decent view. Lovise leaned forward to press a button, causing the roof to the car to slowly retract.

"Holy crap…" She said, standing up on her seat; the golden sun twinkled upon the water and onto a distinct blue house. "Are we the only house around here?"

"According to the website, there aren't any houses for a couple miles in either direction." Bea, glassing propped on her nose, was still on the website. "Which, and I quote, 'guarantees serenity and peace of mind'"

"That's cool, but I was expecting a little town of other vacationers to chill with." Lovise ducked her head into the car to comment. "Do you mean this is going to be like any other day but in Denmark?"

"No! No, not at all, we'll be doing lots of fun things; in fact I heard there's a beach town just across the bridge with a boardwalk." Taika pulled into the parking spot in front of the house. Lovise hops out of the car, picking up her duffel bag.

"Do you have a house key?" She asked, prompting Bea to toss her a set of keys with various labels on them. Lovise found the house key from the ring and unlocked the white door. Inside, it looked like any other beach house.

"Do you like it?" Taika asked Lovise. "Bea and I have been planning this for months." She looked up at her girlfriend, wrapping her arm around hers.

"It's lovely, Tai," Lovise assured her, slinging her bag around her shoulder. "I'll find my room and settle in." She walked around the main floor, her eyes drawn to the seashells all over. Through the living room she finds the stairs, covered by a soft white carpet. Lovise walks down the hallway at the top, opening the doors: a bathroom, a small office, and two bedrooms. One was clearly larger, assumably Bea and Taika's. Lovise walks into the other one, a pale blue color. The furniture was all white, except the blankets on the bed. She drops her bag on the low bed and kicks off her shoes.

"Lovi! We're getting some food in town, do you want to come with? We can check out some of the shops for bracelets." Bea's soft voice called up the stairs.

"No thanks, I'm going to try and unpack my bags!" Lovise calls back, taking off her shirt. She was actually planning on testing her fishing abilities on the pier, and wanted to at least change into her bathing suit top. Unzipping her duffel bag, she unearths the bikini, still with the tags on. Lovise ripped the tag off the top and pulls it over her head. She decided to keep her boots and jeans on as she walked down the stairs to the garage. Using another one of the keys on the rings, Lovise unlocked the garage door to find the fishing gear; once found, she left the house and walked down the sturdy wooden pier, where a chair already sat. She plopped down, dropping the bait kit and rod by her side.

"God this is going to be boring…" Lovise said to herself, fiddling with the wire in attempt to attach it to the rod. "I came here to have fun, not sit around and go fishing!" Her voice echoes throughout the hills. She sighs and throws the line into the sea; after sitting for a few minutes, an unexpected tug causing Lovise to be pulled forward and to let go of the rod.

"No!" She yelled, laying on her stomach over the pier, trying to reach in after it. "God damn it!" Her arm went limp. "I'm not even an hour into this vacation and it already blows…" Lovise lay there, staring at the water in front of her. She stands up and picks up the bait box, dragging the chair behind her. As she put the gear away, her eye caught sight of the rowboat, covered loosely with a sheet. Lovice yanked the sheet off, revealing the small rowboat and the two oars. She bit her lip, stuck in decision, before tossing the sheet to the side and cracking her knuckles. Thankfully, the boat had a set of wheels under it, making pulling it out of the garage much easier. Lovice pulled it behind her down to the shore, and kicked it into the water with her foot; it remained afloat until Lovice kicked off her shoes and rolled up her pants. She climbed into the shaky boat, making sure to not tip it over. As she sat down, she picked up the oars and placed them into their holders; she used one on the bottom of the water to give herself a push, moving out past the pier. Lovice had only rowed once or twice in her lifetime, however still remembered enough to get a couple hundred yards (/meters) from the shore in only a few minutes; proud of this accomplishment, she lay back in her seat, closing her eyes and soaking in the heat.

"What'cha doin'?" a voice asked, causing Lovice to jump. She opened her eyes and peered over the edge of the boat: a girl with long brown hair and freckles was staring up at her from the water, pulling herself up to rest her arms on the edge of the boat. The sudden surprise wasn't what caught Lovice by surprise, however: it was the red tail flapping underwater that was connected to the girl. When Lovice didn't respond, the girl slightly shook the boat.

"Hello?" She asked, furrowing her brows and pulling herself higher up. This only caused her tail to become more visible.

"M-mer…" Lovice managed to stutter out, before her eyes roll back and her vision goes black.


	2. A Not-So Fictional Species

A voice was what woke Lovise up; the girl's voice, to be precise. She immediately sat up, looking around at her location: she appeared to be in an underwater grotto, sitting on slightly damp sand.

"Oh good, you're finally awake," she said, propping herself on her arms to look up at Lovise. "I'm Mathia." But Lovise didn't care about her name: only about the tail, or current lack thereof.

"Mermaids don't exist." She said, standing up and looking for an exit. "Where are we? Why am I here? Where's your tail? Why aren't you wearing anything?" Lovise used her hands to cover the naked lady.

"You fainted and fell off the boat, so I had to carry you down here until you woke up." Mathia stood up and brushed the sand off her. "We're in an underwater cave, accessible by a tunnel system that way." She pointed behind her to a dark tunnel. "I don't have a tail when not in water, and why would I be wearing anything without my tail if I'm not when I have it?" Mathia scoffed, as if this was an obvious question. "Plus I prefer going au naturel." She walked over to the clearly uncomfortable Lovise and, using her fingertips, rubbed her temples.

"What are you doing to me?" Lovise asked, attempting to back away.

"Relax, I'm just trying to see if you're okay." After a few moments, Mathia stepped back. "You hurt your head a little, likely hitting it against a rock; you should survive."  
"That's great, but can I go now? I have friends coming back soon and they'll freak if I'm not home." Lovise made her way to the tunnel.

"Wait!" Mathia exclaimed, grabbing Lovise's arm. "It's too dangerous to go at night, there are bandits lurking around every corner. You need to stay here with me until sunrise."  
"No way! I can handle a couple of thieves, I need to get home!" Lovise attempted to break Mathia's hold, but to no avail.

"You can't! Please, I need you to believe me!" Lovise stared at Mathia, her eyes the only reason she sighed and walked away from the tunnel.

"All right; I'll stay. But don't expect me to stay any longer than needed." Mathia smiled and released Lovise's arm.

"I need to sleep in water, so I'll be right here the whole time; just call my name if you need me." She turned and walked to the shore; Lukas watched her, her hands still covering the nude lady. Mathia elegantly dived into the dark water, her red tail the only visible part of her as she swam away. Lovise moved away from the shore, waiting until Mathia swam far away enough to not see her. Once she was sure she was alone, Lovise walked as quietly as she could to the dark tunnel system. She stepped on a small shell, the sound of it cracking echoing and causing her to stop. Her heart seemed to beat faster as she silently listened for the sound of Mathia splashing through the water: thankfully, she heard nothing. Her feet made a silent noise on the fine sand, hardly being heard by herself. Lovise pressed her back against the wall of the cave, hiding in the shadows. It took a few minutes, but she could see the pale moon, shining into the tunnel through a wide entrance. The tunnel exited out in a small pool of water in the sea. She made a run for it, her feet just barely outside when two identical men with loincloths on stepped out of the shadows and blocked the exit.

"Looks like we've managed to get our hands on a human. Empty your pockets." Said one of the men.

"Listen, I don't want trouble; I just want to get home." Lovise said, stealthily reaching into her back pocket to take out her knife. "If you let me go, I won't come back here again." The men both laughed.

"You assume we'd let you off scot-free: grab her arms." The taller one said, latching his arm around Lovise's bicep. The other grabbed her other arm as they dragged her back into the tunnel, further and further away from the exit.

"Let me go! Mathia! Help me!" Her small voice hardly echoed once before a hand clamped over her mouth. Lovise had lost all hope and let her body go limp in the mens' arms. Her eyes began to droop, watching the small beam of light. Her mind didn't register what she was seeing: a tall figure lurking in the shadows, with what appeared to be a spear in their hand, following the three. It wasn't until the figure stepped into the light that she realized that Mathia was the mysterious figure, holding not one, but two spears. Lovise's eyes remained locked on her, watching her grab a handful of pebbles and throw one of them against the wall in front of the men.

"Hold her here." The tall one said, dropping Lovise's arm. The other held tight onto her other arm, his eyes fixated on the tall man. Mathia stepped out of the shadows once again, dropped one of her spears, and expertly threw it into the short one's head. She kicked the other spear over to Lovise, who turned around and aimed into the tall man's shoulder.

"Follow me!" Mathia yelled, yanking the spear out of the short man's head. She held it in her hand as she followed a trail of pebbles leading to the exit. Lovise ran as fast as she could, diving into the pool of water at the exit after Mathia. She followed the mermaid behind a large boulder, where they sat to catch their breath.

"I told you to trust me." Mathia said, fiddling with the end of her now-appeared tail.

"Is now really the time?" Lovise stood up, twisting her hair out. "I need to dry off before heading back to the house…fuck me!" She yelled in exasperation, pulling off her shoes, socks, and pants. She draped them over the boulder, using her boots to keep them secure.

"You can take the rest of your stuff off and wrap this around you." Mathia, still sitting, lifted up a long and wide piece of seaweed. Lovise sighed, but nonetheless nodded.

"Thank you, Mathia. I'm sorry for not listening to you, I was wrong and you were right." Mathia smiled smugly as she spoke.

"I know I was right. Just make sure to listen to me next time and stay in the cavern." She handed the piece to Lovise, who had already stripped down completely. Lovise wrapped the piece around her bottom.

"Next time? Hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but there won't _be_ a next time; after this whole fiasco, I don't intend on seeing another merperson again." Lovise lifted herself onto the rock and sat down, letting her blonde hair blow in the wind. Mathia pulled herself up next to her and leaned back on her hands.

"Could I make it up to you sometime? I make a killer tuna roll, minus the rice and other non-aquatic ingredients." Mathia laughed and nudged Lovise's rib, emitting a small giggle from her.

"Maybe some other time; mind walking me back to the house?" Lovise gathered her clothes in her arms, leaving the seaweed on. "We need to be quiet though, and stay in the shadows since my roommates are likely looking for me." Mathia's eyes lit up, using her arms to pull her body on to the shore.

"We'll need to sit here for a few minutes while my tail goes away." Lovise sat down next to Mathia, staring at the full moon.

"So, what's mermaid life like? We've been through a helluva night together, we deserve to know a little about each other." Lovise lifted a handful of shells in her hand and sorted them next to her.

"Well, I don't really know anything about my family; I was abandoned in a reef when I was a few hours old, my eyes not even open yet. I grew up an independent mermaid, a loner as well. Anyway, I learned about humans for the first time when a family moved into the house you're staying in. They had a girl who was close to my age, and she wasn't scared when she met me…I loved her a lot. I wanted her to stay with me, so one night she snuck out of her house and I brought her underwater with me. If I had worked faster, if I had kissed her fast enough, she'd still be here." Mathia wiped her eyes with her arm. "When her parents realized she was missing, they spent months looking for her. I didn't want them to discover us on accident, so I took her body to the shore and wrapped a piece of seaweed around her neck. It looked like she had killed herself, and her parents left and never came back." More tears spilled from Mathia's eyes, shining in the moonlight. Lovise wrapped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her gently so her head rested on her shoulder. "Anyway, I think we should head back to your house now." Mathia stood up and held Lovise's hand tightly as they walked along the shore. As they reached the driveway, Mathia's hand dropped.

"Stay safe, okay?" Lovise said, rubbing her neck. She hesitated for a moment, before placing a small peck on Mathia's forehead. "I'll meet you at the rock tomorrow so we can talk more." She said, stepping in through the front door.


End file.
